Seed of doubt
by Ilargi iluna
Summary: Kagome is fed up of being compared to Kikyo by Inuyasha, when she's given another option. Will she pick it? Is her love for him strong enough to hold on? Rated M for possible later lemons and Inuyasha's mouth CHAPTER 6 FINALLY UP!
1. Seed of doubt

**Well, I thought it was tine for Kagome to make Inuyasha jealous, so I decided to play god with the characters and see what happens. Will she still have Inuyasha? Or does she think Kouga is a better option? Will Inuyasha pick Kikyo instead of her? Read and find out!**

**By the way, I don't own any of the characters.**

**Chapter 1: The seed of doubt**

Kagome was running as fast as she could, as the spider youkai had chosen her as its prey, following the jewel shards that hung from her neck. Inuyasha quickly ran towards her and crossed in the path of the youkai, while Sango and Miroku rode on Kirara trying to catch up with them.

Kagome had gone into the forest in order to get some wood to light a fire, while the rest of the gang settled the camp for the night. Inuyasha was mad at her for sitting him five times in a row. After all he had only lightened the weight of her huge yellow backpack, and those books full of strange symbols weren't much help when it came to fight youkai, so what was the point in carrying them?

They argued and she had left him mumbling to himself on a tree while she went for the wood, and so when the spider youkai came for her she had been unprotected. She hadn't had time to use her bow and arrows.

The hanyou was pushed aside by one of the youkai's legs the exact moment that clumsy Kagome tripped over a fallen branch and landed on the floor.

"Kagome!!" Inuyasha shouted helplessly, trying to free himself before it was too late. The youkai readied to shot its venomous sting to Kagome but when it did so it only hit the floor. Kagome was nowhere in sight, she had disappeared in the blink of an eye engulfed by a strong wind.

" What the…? Kouga-kun! " she smiled at the wolf youkai that had saved her life.

"Kagome, that puppy has left you unprotected again, he shouldn't be the one to watch for your safety…" he glared at the now outraged hanyou while he held Kagome's hands "Hey you, dog ears! Why don't you get your lazy ass up and kill that overgrown bug? Even you should be able to do it!"

Inuyasha stepped between them as he hit Kouga's head. "Don't you dare touch Kagome, and I'm going to rip away that tongue of yours, you filthy flea bag!"

"Inuyasha, OSUWARI! Thank you for your help, Kouga – kun"

Luckily by that time Sango had used the Hiraikotsu to end up the spider youkai, and she and Miroku were heading towards the arguing trio while a very upset hanyou got out of an Inuyasha shaped crater.

"Wench! What the hell were you thinking about going into the fucking forest on your own?"

"Shut up, you stupid jerk, it wasn't me the one sitting on a tree being mad"

"Yeah! It wasn't you either the one being sat to hell for trying to help!"

"I was you who threw my school books into the hot spring! Don't tell me you were helping me!"

"If you wench learned how to use a bow properly instead of those fucking books I wouldn't have to be around all the time!"

"So now you're telling me you're tired up of protecting me?"

"No, I'm tired of babysitting you all the time! A real miko has to be a skilled archer!"

Kouga, Miroku and Sango were looking at the arguing couple, then at each other and then back at them. Inuyasha was frozen. _Have I really said that?_ Kagome seemed in the verge of tears. _He's thinking of Kikyo. He thinks I'm not nearly as good as she is_. Anger and frustration raged inside her.

"Inuyasha, you, you…OSUWARI, OSUWARI, OSUWARI!!!"

The hanyou fell face first onto the floor, as Kagome took off running in an attempt to hide her tears. Kouga took off immediately after her and Sango tried to do the same, but the houshi held her arm.

"She'll be alright; I don't think she wants too many people around right now. You can talk to her later, when she's calmed down. Now let's keep Inuyasha busy till she's ready to talk to him again" Sango just nodded. Miroku's hand went down to grab her butt then. Moments later a loud slap echoed in the forest.

Meanwhile, Kouga had caught up with Kagome and was holding her to his chest while she sobbed uncontrollably.

"That damned puppy dog… I'll tear him to pieces for doing this to you…" He snarled in an attempt to control his anger.

"It's… it's okay Kouga-kun" she tried to fight back her tears "I know he prefers Kikyo, she's a greater miko, much more powerful than I am, and his first love…"

"Yeah, and now she's an undead zombie walking around and stinking of death…" he took her face in his hands and stared directly into her eyes "Even having the doubt is the greatest prove that he's just an stupid empty headed puppy dog" Kagome giggled. Usually she wouldn't have liked that, but now she was so mad at him that she actually thought it was comical. He had a serious face now, and that wasn't at all Kouga-like.

"You know, I would never choose anybody above you, and of course I would never let anything harm you"

"Kouga-kun… Thank you so much but…I can't…Inuyasha…" She was now staring at the floor, so she didn't see it coming when Kouga held her chin up and gently met his lips with hers.

At first she was petrified, and before she knew what she was doing her instincts took over her and she kissed him back… that is, until she noticed what she was doing and pulled away.

"Kouga-kun, what…? Why did you do that?" She was still too shocked to be mad.

"Well, that might help you clear up your doubts" He had a cocky grin on his face "And plus, you didn't seem to dislike it. That should be a point for me"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I have no doubts, I…" She paused for a moment. _Do I really have no doubts? I love Inuyasha, sure, but he's such a jerk and Kouga-kun is so nice and caring, and he doesn't run to another woman, he says he loves me… and that kiss felt so nice… Wait, what the hell am I thinking about, he's Kouga-kun for heaven's sake! Oh, great, I need some time alone, PLEASE!_

Kouga had seen her doubtful face, and that was enough for him… for now. Plus, he knew Inuyasha would smell him all over her, and that would make him so very mad. That stupid hanyou… it was beyond him to understand how could he choose cold, dead Kikyo above the sweet and beautiful young miko he held in his arms.

"Hmm… Kouga-kun? Could you take me to the camp, please? Sango and the others will be very worried."

"Sure, get on my back" he turned and knelt so she could climb easily and took off towards the others. They got there in a minute, but he stopped when a certain hanyou jumped in front of him from a nearby tree.

"Leave her alone, you fucking flea bag before I rip your head off your shoulders" he snapped. Kouga let Kagome down gently.

"Kagome, I'm leaving now, tell me when you decide what to do" And with that he ran back into the forest before anyone had time to react.

"Oi wench, why the hell do you smell like that piece of wolf shit?" the hanyou asked lifting one eyebrow. He could smell the wolf youkai all over her, and he didn't like it in the slightest.

Kagome didn't bother to answer and she walked past him to where Sango and Shippo were lighting the fire to cook dinner. She whispered something to Sango and they both got up and walked to Kagome's yellow backpack.

"We're going to the hot spring over there for a bath, we'll be right back" said Sango.

Inuyasha mumbled something about washing up and stinky wolves as he climbed to a branch in a nearby tree.

When they were far enough Sango turned to Kagome.

"Are you okay? You spent a long time with Kouga, you know… did anything happen?"

"Well, Sango, you see…"

**How did you like it? Should I continue with the story? R&R PLEASE!**


	2. Sharing thoughts

_**And here comes chapter two, I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Thank you very much to the people who reviewed, you guys rock!**_

_**I don't own Inuyasha… nor Kouga, but a girl can dream**_

_**Last chapter:**_

"_Are you okay? You spent a long time with Kouga, you know… did anything happen?"_

"_Well, Sango, you see…"_

**Chapter 2: Sharing thoughts**

Once they got to the hot springs, and while they stripped and went into the warm and welcoming water Kagome explained Sango what had happened, how she was going to become dessert to the spider youkai when Kouga had appeared and saved her.

"And just after that both of them began teasing each other, without even worrying about the youkai! What's wrong with the two of them? I mean, they could wait at least until they had killed it, right?" Kagome sighed heavily while Sango giggled slightly. It was too usual to even surprise her. "And then, well, you know what happened, you and Miroku were just reaching where we were, so I suppose you heard the argument and the things he said to me…" Kagome's voice cracked and she began to sob again.

"Shh… it's all right, Kagome, don't cry, you know he's just an insensitive jerk, you know he didn't mean to hurt you like that, don't you?"

"I know, but…" Kagome tried to fight back the tears so she could be able to speak properly "It's not that what upset me, I know that baka wouldn't hurt me on purpose, but what he said was what he thought, and that means…" She started a new round of sobs "that means that he prefers Kikyo instead of me"

"Oh, now I understand…"

Sango couldn't think of anything that would sooth her friend right now, mostly because she didn't know whether what she thought was true or not. Inuyasha ran to Kikyo each time they met, and Kagome had caught them kissing at least once, so the poor girl had every right to think that way. Nevertheless, she also saw the way Inuyasha looked at Kagome when he thought nobody would see him, and the mess he became when she had to go back to her time. Yes, she really thought that the hanyou loved Kagome dearly, but that didn't mean he didn't love Kikyo too, even if she was a walking corpse that wanted to take him to hell with her. She shook her head. This wasn't good at all. Kagome was still crying, so she snapped out of her thoughts and tried to distract her.

"So, after you took off running Kouga went after you. Did anything happen? You spent quite a lot of time there, you know. I was about to go find you when you came back, because Inuyasha was being impossible to hold back and Miroku and I didn't think you'd be very pleased to see him right then."

Kagome blushed fiercely and Sango gave her a confused look. This wasn't at all what she had expected.

"Kagome?"

"Well…" Kagome blushed five shades of red before she gathered enough courage to continue. She trusted Sango with her life, but she wasn't used to share her feelings with anyone. "I ran into the forest until I stopped in a clearing and then began crying. I was so mad, not really at Inuyasha, but at me… for believing he could have me instead of her… for allowing me to hope that maybe one day…well, you know what I mean" Sango nodded in understanding. She also felt that way sometimes with a certain hentai houshi… "And so I stood there until I felt him. He was so caring… he hugged me to his chest and I felt like I wanted to stay that way forever. Oh, Sango it felt so good, so protective."

Sango smiled at her. She knew Kouga was a good guy, he could be cocky and full of himself, but he loved Kagome and couldn't stand seeing her hurt. And for when he used to eat humans… well, he was a youkai, the fact that he had been living on animals since he met Kagome was good enough for her.

"And so, after that you came back." She stated. She was thoroughly surprised when Kagome turned maroon.

"In fact…no" Kagome took a deep breath. "He told me Inuyasha was stupid for preferring Kikyo and that he wouldn't take anyone over me"

For some reason Sango thought it wasn't the full story.

"And…"

"Iisme" Kagome mumbled becoming even redder

"What??"

"He… kissed me" Kagome said somewhat fascinated by her feet.

"He did what??!!"

Now this wasn't in the slightest what she expected. Of course she knew Kouga's feelings about Kagome, anybody who had known him for five minutes knew them, but kissing her? She hadn't thought he'd try anything physical without Kagome's permission. So here came the inevitable question.

"And what did you do?"

"I… kissed him back" Sango's brows looked like they were going to escape from her face "Only a little" Kagome added "At first I was so shocked I couldn't react, and when I finally realised what I was doing I was already kissing him back" She said that last sentence in a defensive tone.

"Hey, don't worry, Kagome, you don't have to defend what you did, you have the right to kiss whoever you want to"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, but the thing is that I don't know whether I wanted to kiss him or not"

Kagome doubted whether to open up to her friend and share all her feelings and worries with her or keep them to herself. She didn't want to bother anyone with her problems; it has her who didn't know what to do and she didn't want to put a burden on anybody's shoulders. Sango gave her an encouraging smile and she made up her mind.

"You see, Sango, I know I love Inuyasha, but I sincerely believe he doesn't want me, the only thing he sees in me is the incarnation of his true love, just a mere copy" Kagome let out a resigned sigh "Oh, and a potential shard detector as well" she added with a bitter smile that wasn't at all like her.

Sango hugged her tight and caressed her hair in an attempt to sooth her and she began to shake with sobs again.

"I don't think you're right, Kagome" Sango whispered to her "I think he really doesn't know who he loves, or maybe he loves both of you, but I don't think he sees you as a copy of Kikyo"

"How can you stand it?" Kagome asked abruptly. Sango looked confused "I mean, when Miroku goes womanizing"

Now it was Sango's turn to blush, but Kagome had trusted her and now it was her turn to do the same.

"Well, I guess it's not the same thing" She pulled apart from Kagome and looked into the starry sky "You know houshi-sama, he's such a pervert, but he does it with every woman he finds, and that makes me think he doesn't really care about any of them. Of course I sometimes get hurt, but I mask it as anger so that he won't be able to see what I feel for him or at least to make him doubtful about it" She sighed and then smiled at Kagome "But I guess I don't mask it that well, isn't it, Kagome?"

"Well, I guess for me it's obvious, but I don't think he's too sure about it, so at least you accomplish your goal" Kagome's face remained sad "But I know Kikyo is very special to him, and it hurts me so much when he runs to her. I don't want to suffer, Sango, and I want him to be happy as well. I try to pretend I'm all right, that I don't mind at all, but he can smell my tears when I can't fight them back and I know that makes him feel guilty"

Sango nodded "I understand"

"And so, suddenly Kouga comes into play and I no longer know what I really want" She looked at Sango "He's a good guy, takes care of me risking his own life if necessary and loves me, or so he says"

"Well, Kagome, I don't know him that well, but I'd say he's serious about that"

"Yeah, so I think. But I don't know if I can love him back. Until today I had it pretty clear, but after what Inuyasha said, after what Kouga did… I no longer know what to think, Sango, it's all very confusing"

"It'll be all right, Kagome, you know, you don't have to make a decision yet" she tried to cheer her up "How about you wait for some time and see what happens?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I think I'll go back to my time for a few days, anyway, I have to take some tests and I can use the time left to think about this without Inuyasha bugging me to know what's wrong. Could you take care of Shippo while I'm gone? I'd bet Inuyasha will release his wrath on him every chance he gets"

Sango nodded at her friend, happy now that it seemed things were going to be all right "Of course I will, don't you worry"

Kagome hugged her happily. "Thank you very much, Sango. For everything"

Sango hugged back the girl she thought of as a sister "You're welcome, but there's no need to. Now lets get going before those two bakas come searching for us, my hand still hurts from the last time I slapped the houshi" she said as she went out of the hot water and dried her up with a towel Kagome had brought for her from her time. Kagome giggled and followed suit.

Once they were dry and fully dressed they set off to where the boys waited.

_**Not a very humorous chapter, but there were serious topics that needed to be discussed. I promise next one will be a lot funnier! **_

_**REVIEW PLEASE and let me know what you think.**_


	3. Through the well

_**And here comes Chapter 3! It was a quick update, wasn't it? I hope you enjoy it! Thank you very much to my dear reviewers, you brighten my day!**_

_**I don't own Inuyasha, though I wish I owned Kouga…**_

**Chapter 3: Through the well**

"I'm going back to my time" Kagome said when Shippo asked her why she was picking up her belongings. The little kitsune's eyes began to wet with tears "Don't worry Shippo, I'll be back in a few days, but there are some things I need to do before I come back."

"But who will osuwari Inuyasha when he hits me?" Shippo pouted. Kagome laughed warmly

"Don't worry, Sango and her Hiraikotsu will be here to protect you from the big bad dog-boy. Now I have to head back before Inuyasha decides he's no longer mad at me and comes to get me back"

"Okay mommy. I'll miss you" Shippo was on the verge of tears once again.

"I'll miss you too Shippo-chan. I'll bring you some sweets if you promise you won't be crying anymore while I'm gone" Shippo's eyes dried a little as a smile began to show on his face.

"Thank you very much mommy!!" he sang happily as he gave her a tight hug. Kagome smiled and hugged him back.

"You're welcome Shippo-chan. Now goodbye, I'll be back in a few days"

"Bye mommy"

Kagome watched as Shippo went back to the camp and then set off to the well. It had been quite a long time since the last time she had been home and she missed her family a lot. Even her grumpy and slightly crazy gramps. She couldn't wait to see them and smiled happily on her way. It was only an hour of walking away, and she had decided to enjoy her free time from the very beginning. Of course she had important things to think about, and her exams weren't the smallest of her worries, but that could wait, right now there was nothing that clouded her good mood.

She had been walking for a while when she began to recognize the familiar sight of the woods near the well. She was trying to spot the well that must be nearby when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Kagome!!"

She turned back in time to watch a big amount of spinning wind coming upon her.

"Kouga-kun? What are you doing here?" She asked once a smiling Kouga stopped in front of her.

"Well, I didn't have the chance to say goodbye properly yesterday with that mutt-face in between, so I came searching for you this morning, but then realized you weren't with the others" He frowned a little "By the way, why are you alone again? Is that stupid hanyou brainless enough to leave you alone just after what happened yesterday?"

"To tell you the truth I am alone because of what happened yesterday" his brow furrowed even further but she went on before he had the chance to interrupt "It's not what you think, Inuyasha is still mad at me (and me at him, by the way) and I thought it was the best moment to head back home for a few days. Besides I've got to do some exams, so I'll use the time to study as much as I can"

Kouga was looking at her without understanding half of it.

"Exams? What's that? And what is it that you have to study? Do they teach you spells back at your time, so you have to study them?" Kouga was confused. He knew about Kagome's miko powers, but he didn't know she was a sorcerer as well.

Kagome laughed wholeheartedly. Oh, yeah, she wished they'd teach her spells instead or trigonometry!

"No, I don't know any magic besides my miko powers. What I learn at home are things such as science and math, they've got their use at home (at least so she hoped!), but not here. Exams are tests you have to pass to show that you have learnt what you've been taught"

Kouga nodded in understanding, although he couldn't figure out what math and science could be, but he trusted Kagome enough not to make more questions on the topic. Then an idea popped into his mind.

"Okay, I'll go with you" he announced happily. "I don't want you to be wandering all alone in that world of yours"

Kagome froze. She wanted, no, needed some time ALONE. And she couldn't osuwari Kouga, so she'd have to think about another way to make him stay in the Sengoku Jidai. Then realization came to her.

"There's no need, Kouga, and besides, you won't be able to go through the well"

Kouga frowned again "Why not? That dog shit goes with you sometimes, why shouldn't I be able to go too?" Was she telling him that he wasn't as good as that damn hanyou?

"He can because he's tied to my by the prayer's beads, and that allows him to go to whichever Era I am in" Kagome explained.

Kouga wasn't pleased with Inuyasha being bounded to his woman, so he insisted. "I'll try, and if I can go through that well, then I get to go with you" he smirked "After all you've already been to my den, so it's only fair that I visit yours"

Kagome sighed in resignation, seeing as there was no way around it. Anyway, he wouldn't be able to go through the well, so there was nothing to worry about.

"Okay, then. Now let's head on, I'm dying to see my family again"

Kouga scooped her into his arms and jumped into the well. The usual blue light greeted them and took…both of them. When they appeared in the modern era Kagome couldn't believe it. _Oh, God, why me? How has he gone through the well, I thought it was only Inuyasha that… _Then she glanced to the two small lights that shone in Kouga's legs. _Oh, crap, how could I forget that he has Shikon shards on his legs? Oh, crap, crap, crap!_ She stopped a sigh. _No point on regretting now. _And with that thought she turned her face to Kouga, who had his trademark cocky smile.

"You see? He might have those beads on him, but I am a full youkai, there was no way I couldn't go through it!" He stated proudly

_Yeah, and you have two Shikon shards on your legs, not that it would make any difference_ she thought in irony. She repressed that thought and instead she smiled at him, seeing no point on upsetting him.

"Seems that you were right. Now let go of me and lets go home" Kouga gave her a hurt look, not knowing what he had done to upset her. "Don't feel bad, it's just that I don't want my mom to see me in your arms like that. In this era it would not be well seen"

Kouga nodded. After all he didn't know anything about this world, that by the way smelled quite oddly, so he let it be and put Kagome down and they went out off the well and into that strange building that seemed to be Kagome's house. She led the way and opened the front door.

"Mom, Souta, Gramps! I'm home! I've brought someone I'd like you to meet!" Kagome shouted.

"Hello, dear! Souta and Gramps are out right now, I'll be there in a minute" Mrs. Higurashi answered from the kitchen. Moments later she came out and hugged her daughter. "How wonderful that you're back, I missed you so much"

Kagome pulled away after a moment and turned to Kouga, who had been politely waiting behind her. After all he was a prince, he knew how to behave when he needed to.

"And who's this handsome boy you've brought with you?" Mrs Higurashi asked looking at the ookami youkai for the first time.

Kagome blushed slightly and introduced them. "Mom, this is Kouga-kun, prince of the ookami youkai and a good friend of mine. Kouga, this is my mother" _Please don't do with his tail the same thing you did with Inuyasha's ears_ Kagome prayed looking at them. To her relief, she didn't seem to have noticed Kouga's tail. Not yet, at least.

"Pleased to meet you Kouga, would you like to stay for lunch?" Mrs Higurashi asked smiling warmly at him.

"The pleasure is mine, and yes, I'd be honoured to share dinner with Kagome's family" he answered in a way too formal voice.

Mrs Higurashi smiled, quite surprised by the difference between this boy and Inuyasha's behaviour. She had thought all youkais and hanyous would have the same manners. Kagome looked at Kouga, a little embarrassed.

"It's okay, Kouga, you don't have to be that formal, it's my family after all" she told him. Kouga's reply caught her completely off guard.

"Kagome, she's the mother of my future mate, so I have to show her the correspondent respect when I talk to her"

Mrs Higurashi eyed her daughter curiously, but said nothing. She'd thought that Kagome was in love with Inuyasha, but apparently she'd been wrong. And besides that young youkai that stood in front of her was just as good looking as the hanyou, even if he didn't have those adorable ears, and plus he seemed a good boy, as well as a very polite one. Kagome, on the other hand, had discovered a new range of red that her face had the ability to turn into.

"Mmm, yeah, well… C'mon Kouga, I'll show you around before the rest of my family comes home" she said, hurrying up the stairs and dragging Kouga with her.

"Okay, dear. Lunch will be ready in half an hour or so" Mrs Higurashi said, knowing that she could ask her daughter about that mate issue later. She didn't know exactly what the wolf youkai had meant by that, but the word alone spoke volumes.

Kagome just nodded from upstairs and pulled Kouga's hand till both of them were out of her mother's sight and in her room. She switched on the light and Kouga jumped a few feet in the air.

"What the…? Kagome, you told me you weren't a sorcerer!!" he yelled, eying her suspiciously. She sighed heavily.

"Calm down, Kouga, it's not magic. Remember what I said about science being useful in my time? Well, it enables us to have electric light instead of torches. You'll see a great amount of things that might seem magic, but believe me, they're not. It's just that they haven't been invented yet in the Sengoku Jidai" Kagome told him from her bedroom doorframe. "Now, come here, I'll show you my room and the rest of the house before lunch, and then hopefully find you some clothes so we can go out after that"

Kouga made a face "What's wrong with my furs and armour?" Then we saddened a little. _Maybe she doesn't like the way I look? _He met her eyes, and was surprised when he saw her amused face. "What's so funny?"

"I was just imaging what people would think if they saw you dressed that way. It'd stick out a lot in this time, believe me. I don't want everybody staring at you out there, do you?" she smiled broadly

"Oh…" so that was it "It's okay then" He wondered what kind of armours they wore in this Era. He hadn't seen Kagome or her mother wearing any, but they were women after all, so it wasn't that strange. He shrugged and followed Kagome into her room.

**_How did you like it? A little cliffy, I know, but it was going to be a very long chapter if I didn't cut it there, and I like them to be more or less the same size. I'll update as soon as I can, but you have to review if you want me to hurry up!_**


	4. The modern Era

_**I'm so very sorry this update was so late! I've been having my college exams and it's been very difficult to find the time to write this, but don't worry, I just finished them, so I'll be less busy now, for a few weeks. **_

_**Thank you very much to all the people who reviewed… so many of them… I love you guys (tear drops) I'm so happy that I'm gonna try to post the next chapter tonight (it's 22:45 here) or tomorrow at the latest ;)**_

_**Now, on with the story! I own nothing, by the way**_

**Chapter 4 : The modern Era**

Kouga looked around taking in as much as he could at once. Kagome's room was a very strange place to him, apart from the fact that he didn't recognize most of the objects that were in there, it was so crowded with things and it felt quite claustrophobic to him, with so little space to move around. He eyed the electric lamp still suspiciously, his youkai instincts telling him to be guarded from that piece of sorcery. Then the radio that Kagome had just turned on caught his attention. She smiled at him.

"This is a thing that allows us to listen to music without somebody actually playing it for us each time we want to hear it. It's called radio." She caught his pained expression and turned it off "What's wrong, Kouga-kun?"

"That thing hurts my ears. How can you like anything like that?" of course, they had their own instruments back in his den, but the metallic sound coming from that radio thing didn't have anything to do with the music he was used to listen to. It pained greatly his sensitive ears.

She smiled in understanding. Then she looked at her watch. Lunch would be ready in twenty minutes, and she wanted to have a shower and change clothes at last to look decent while eating with her family, and after throwing a glance towards the dirt covered wolf youkai standing in front of her she decided that he should have one too.

"Okay, let's get ourselves clean now before we have lunch and we'll see what we can do for the evening after that. Come on, I'll show you how the shower works and I'll pick some clothes for both of us while you clean yourself"

Kouga just nodded and followed her to the bathroom.

**Ten minutes and a lot of explanation later:**

Kouga stripped of his armour and furs and went into that strange giant bowl Kagome called bathtub. He stared at the two metallic hooks and remembered that Kagome had told him that the red one made hot water pour from that thing called shower that clung above his head. He turned it and a moment later nearly boiling water hit his sensitive skin. This caught him completely off guard and made him jump out of the bathtub while he let out a loud howl, in an attempt to avoid being burnt by the way too hot water.

Kagome had been in her bedroom, trying to decide which outfit she would wear before she went to find something for Kouga when she heard a blood freezing howl coming from the bathroom. Without hesitation she ran towards it and stormed into the bathroom, immediately freezing on the doorframe. In front of her stood a naked Kouga staring at her, his eyes wide, astonishment obvious in his handsome features.

"K… Kagome, I… the water…" he tattered

Kagome snapped out of her trance and got out of the bathroom, shutting the door immediately behind her, her face so red that she would have sworn she could glow in the dark.

"Hmm, Kouga? Please, cover yourself with a towel so I can go in and fix whatever that has happened" she said from the other side of the door, thanking the Kami that he couldn't see her face right then. She had seen him naked, yeah but that wasn't the worst of it. She had actually liked what she had seen: his long raven hair loose and damp, clinging to his face, drops of water running down his sculpted chest, the flawless tan skin that covered his perfect abs, his… _Stop it! _She refused to go down there. _That damn hentai houshi, I'm gonna have to kill him before he can influence me further_. Kouga's voice brought her back.

"What is a towel?"

"That large piece of cloth hanging from the wall, near the bathtub"

"Okay"

She could hear him fighting with the towel for a few moments

"Okay, I think you can come in" he said when he finally managed to cover himself.

He had tied the towel around his waist in some kind of knot, so that it barely covered him enough for Kagome not to be too embarrassed in his presence.

She came in, opening the door tentatively in order to ensure that she actually could go in. Her face was still extremely red. Kouga, on the other hand, had his cocky smile on him for, once he had gotten over the initial shock, he didn't really care that much. Okay, she had seen him naked, but it wasn't such a big deal. After all, she was going to be his mate, so sooner or later she would have seen him anyway. _And you're gonna have her that way as well_, a lustful voice said inside his head. That actually made him blush a little, and he changed that train of thought before it brought a REALLY uncomfortable situation, because, dressed as he was, he couldn't afford an arousal in front of Kagome, she'd surely notice and freak out.

Kagome eyed him curiously as his smile faded and then a slight blush covered his cheeks. She wondered what he had been thinking, but chose not to ask. Instead, she turned on the cold water a bit, so that the one coming from the shower was just warm and then left for Kouga to finish showering.

She hurried into her room, still blushing a little, but tried not to think about it anymore and concentrate on the clothes she and Kouga would wear for the afternoon. She was standing in front of her wardrobe, once she had picked some jeans and a black loose T-shirt that were her father's for her youkai friend when her mother knocked lightly on her door.

"Kagome? May I talk to you for a little?" she asked as she entered her room

"Yeah, of course, what's the matter mama?"

Mrs Higurashi had been thinking for a while about what Kouga had proclaimed when he met her, but she wanted to talk to her daughter before coming to wrong conclusions.

"Well, dear, I was a bit surprised before, I didn't know you were in love with Kouga, in fact, I thought you loved Inuyasha" she had decided that going straight to the matter would be the best. She went on after a little pause "Is that mate thing something like marriage? Cause if it is I think you should have at least told me you had a relationship with him and brought him earlier, so I could know him" she was in fact a little hurt that her daughter didn't trust her enough to tell her such an important thing.

If Kagome had blushed when she had got into the bathroom where Kouga stood as naked as he was born that was nothing compared to the deep crimson red she was becoming right now. After a moment of shock she took her mother by the arm and dragged her downstairs and into the well house. She knew Kouga would be able to hear all of their conversation should they stay in her bedroom. She turned to face her mother.

"Mom, he's not my mate, and I don't even know if I love him that way. And for the other question" she turned even redder "I actually love Inuyasha, but he's in love with another woman, a previous live of mine for the matter. So…" she sobbed "I think he cares about me only because I'm that Kikyo's reincarnation" she did her best to hold back the tears.

She hadn't wanted to tell this to her mother, she didn't want her worrying even more than she did when she went into the Sengoku Jidai, but she'd never been able to lie to her, not when she asked her a direct question like that. Mrs Higurashi, on the other hand, was perplexed. This was a lot of information to take in so suddenly, but she did her best to sooth her daughter.

"It's okay, dear, don't you cry. I'm sure Inuyasha cares about you, a lot in fact, you just have to watch how protective he's about you, and, if he has that Kikyo, he wouldn't do it if he didn't care at all, now would he?"

Kagome shook her head "He just wants me so that he can find those damned jewel shards"

To her surprise, her mother laughed at her. "But Kagome, didn't you tell me that you were able to see people's auras?" Kagome nodded "Now, don't you think if that was true Inuyasha's aura would be utterly dark? And I bet it is as pure as a half demon's aura can be"

Kagome's eyes lightened a bit. Her mother was right, of course. She smiled broadly at her as she pulled her into a tight embrace, before hurrying into the shrine before Kouga went out of the shower and started wondering where she was. She still had her doubts, of course. Inuyasha could still care about her just as a friend and love Kikyo instead, whilst Kouga loved her as a mate, a thing she appreciated in all its value. She sighed. She had a lot to think about, but for now she'd just try to go through these days with Kouga as best as she could. She'd have to make a decision soon nevertheless, and whether Inuyasha chose Kikyo or her, she would make her decision independently because Kouga was a dear friend of hers ad deserved better than her having him just as the second choice if she was not the chosen one by the hanyou.

With those thoughts in her mind, she went into her room and found the youkai there, covered only in a towel and turning the clothes up and down, trying to guess which way they went and in which order. She laughed a little and walked in to help him.

_**So, how did you like it? It's kind of half a chapter, but I wanted to update as soon as possible!**_

_**I don't know if I go too much into detail sometimes and make it a little heavy, what do you think? Please tell me so that I can fix it!**_

_**And one last thing, I love your comments, so REVIEW PLEASE!**_


	5. Ice skating and headache

_**Guys, I'm so very sorry I couldn't fulfil my promis in last chappie, my traitor computer broke down and I couldn't have it fixed till yesterday evening. I've updated as fast as I have been able to. I hope you like this chapter, it's much longer than the others, as a little reward for the delay. **_

_**As always, thank you very much to my reviewers, you're the best!**_

_**And still I don't own anything, but I'm working on it ;)**_

**Chapter 5: Ice skating and headache**

Kagome finally got Kouga to get properly dressed, after a little argument about the necessity of wearing armour in the modern Era. The ookami wasn't pleased at all with the idea, even less considering the very strange noises and smells he was picking from the outside. He didn't understand either why Kagome was leaving her bow and arrows at home. It was very reckless on her part, he thought, to go unprotected like that, even if she had told him that there were no youkais in her time. Kagome finally convinced him when she argued that there were some warriors called policemen who were supposed to protect people, and she'd get into trouble with them should she go armed. She just hoped they didn't have any trouble with one of those 'warriors', at least while Kouga was in between. It'd be very difficult to explain things such as his tail and claws.

She picked for herself a pair of tight jeans and a light grey turtleneck that hugged her curves perfectly. She was going to enter the bathroom when her brother and Gramps entered the house. She introduced them to Kouga quickly, so she'd have time to shower and get dressed in time for lunch. Souta looked at Kouga.

"Why don't you have dog ears as Inuyasha?"

Kouga tried to repress a death glare before answering, after all, this was Kagome's brother, so he'd better be nice to him. "That's because, first, I'm a wolf demon, not a dog, and second, I'm a full youkai, not just a hanyou like that mutt face" he said that last one in a despise tone.

"Hey, don't you talk like that about Inuyasha, he's the one that protects onee-chan, and plus I think he's cool, I wish I could do the things he does…" Souta said the last statement with a dreamy expression on his face. Then he noticed that the youkai in front of him could easily have steam coming out of his ears.

_Okay Kouga, now take a deep breath, you don't want to hurt him, okay, another deep breath, you're the one that's with Kagome in this moment, not mutt face, now relax. _He looked to the kid standing in front of him and flashed his cocky grin. "That's because you haven't seen anything better, pup, you'll change your mind once you can really compare. And besides, I'm the one protecting your nee-chan when that dog's not able to do it"

Souta just frowned and walked upstairs and to his room. Kouga too went upstairs, but to Kagome's room instead. He'd wait there for her to go to eat lunch.

**An hour later**

Kagome and Kouga were walking to the park. As it was winter, the lake was frozen and you could go ice skating on it, so they would hire some skates and spend the afternoon there. Kagome had thought Kouga would like it very much, as he did like speed a lot, but she had to warn him no to use the power of the sacred shards, so the humans around wouldn't freak out. Kouga was wearing a long black leather coat to hide his tail and his hair was loose in order to hide his pointed ears.

_Wow, he's really hot in that coat, and plus he should wear his hair loose more often, it might not be so comfortable, but it suits him perfectly._ Kagome blushed at her thoughts. Kouga saw it and turned to her, frowning.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Errr, it's nothing, just that I'm a real klutz and I fall a lot when skating, which is embarrassing" well, it wasn't what he had asked, but it was true anyway.

"You don't have to worry about that, I won't let you fall anyway" the ookami answered confidently.

Kagome gave him a half hearted smile, then turned to the man that hired skates and got a pair for each.

**Two hours later**

Kagome smiled broadly. Kouga had been so far a complete show off. He might have not used the sacred shards for speed, but she was sure that they had helped him in achieving the amazing turns and jumps he had managed to do on the iced lake. People were staring at him with their jaws hanging. Kagome giggled a little at their faces, which turned out to be a bad idea 'cause it made her lose her equilibrium and fall backwards.

"Ahhh!"

She braced herself, waiting for the hard ice to hit her back, but the bump never came. She opened her eyes slightly to find the youkai's face inches from hers. He as holding her back with one arm and her waist with the other, her lying in a nearly horizontal position, as if they were dancing. Kouga was looking at her with his piercing blue eyes, his face serious as it could be, then he lowered his gaze lo her lips and got a bit closer.

Kagome gulped. _No, no, no, I haven't made this decision yet, you can't do this to me!_ But her traitor body didn't seem to think the same, because instead of moving away she slowly began to draw her lips to his.

Just then a boy about Souta's age bumped into them and the moment got lost. Kouga began to growl quite loudly. It had been so close! That stupid human pup, he should rip his head out for this!

"I'm so s-sorry, s-sir, I don't k-know very well how to skate yet" the scared boy tattered to the growling youkai.

"Just get the hell out of here!" Kouga nearly yelled at the poor kid that got lost from sight as fast as he could.

Kagome, on the other hand, was relieved by the interruption and now was staring angrily at him.

"You didn't have to be so rude, the poor kid could've been hurt and the only thing you think of doing is to yell at him! You're such a jerk!" she spit out before finding a bench to sit down and take her skates off.

"Hey, why are you taking those off?" Kouga asked, still trying to decide if he was mad because the kid interrupted them or sad because Kagome was now mad at him_. Geez, women are so complicated._

"'Cause I'm tired and besides it'll be dark soon and we'd better get going" she thought for a moment. She'd planned to have dinner outside and then maybe go to the movies, so Kouga would get to know as much as possible of her time, but now she was really mad at him and didn't know if he deserved it. Being the forgiving person she was, she decided to give him a second chance. "I've thought about having dinner and maybe go to the movies after that"

"The movies?" the ookami said as he took his own skates off.

"Yeah, it's kind of a story telling, but instead of just imagining what they're telling you, you see it on a large screen. I think you'll like it" she shrugged.

When they had given back their skates they went to a fast ramen place to have dinner. Kagome almost choked on her food when she discovered that Kouga loved ramen almost as much as Inuyasha did. _Well, well, I would,t have thought those two would ever have something in common._ She giggled slightly, Kouga not noticing it, concentrated as he was in his food.

"Hmm, Kouga-kun? What kind of movie would you like to see?" she asked, changing her train of thought before he noticed her amusement.

"Whatever you choose is okay, Kagome, I don't even know which kind of movies are in choice"

She nodded and thought for a while. It would have to be one placed in the past, she didn't want to spend the whole time explaining things to Kouga so he would understand it, and if she wanted him to enjoy it would have to involve some kind of battle.

"Okay, I think I got the perfect one"

**Meanwhile, but 500 years earlier**

Inuyasha was sitting on a branch of the Goshinboku, staring blankly to the leaf ceiling above him when he heard the houshi calling him. He growled, he had made it very clear that he wanted to be alone. Miroku called him again. _I guess he's not gonna shut the hell up until he gets what he wants. That is, unless I rip out that tongue of his. _He smirked and shook his head. He knew he would never hurt his friend, not unless he groped Kagome anyway, and even then he wouldn't mean to hurt him badly.

"Inuyasha, I know you're up there, I can feel your youki. May I talk to you for a second? It's important." Miroku shouted from the foot of the tree.

Inuyasha made a sound between a growl and a sigh and jumped down, landing silently beside the monk.

"What's up with you? Is Sango trying to kill you again, you hentai?" he asked him with a smirk on his face.

"I believe that's not the case, my dear friend, it's about you and Kagome-sama that I wanted to talk" Miroku answered calmly.

Inuyasha glared at him. "That's not any of your damn business, and besides, there's nothing to talk about, so if that's everything you have to say…" he turned and prepared to jump up the tree again.

"She's having doubts with Kouga" Miroku said simply.

The hanyou froze. _She's thinking about her and the stinking flea bag…together?_ It took him a pair of seconds to react. "WHAT???!!!"

Miroku just grinned. "I knew you'd be interested"

"Stop that shit and tell me what the fuck you are talking about"

"Now, now, my dear friend, stay calm, she hasn't made any decision yet, from what I know" he said, patting Inuyasha's shoulder briefly and then taking seat, his back lying on the Goshinboku.

Inuyasha tried to cool down a bit and then sat down beside him, his legs crossed and a deep frown between his brows.

"Okay, I'm calm, now tell me. And don't skip a detail." He said, glaring at the monk.

Miroku gulped when he saw the hanyou's dangerous glare. Maybe this hasn't been the best of ideas. _Okay, no turn back now; let's hope this will work up the right way._ He cleared his throat. "You remember when Kagome got upset with you yesterday evening, after the spider youkai attack?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Hell, yeah, I saved her and what did she do? Sit me to hell! That stupid thankless wench" he growled at the remembrance.

"Well, yes, but that's not the point, Inuyasha. She didn't sit you for helping her, she sat you because you hurt her. And deeply, I should say. You should know by now how sensitive Kagome-sama is when talking about Kikyo-sama."

"What the hell does Kikyo have to do with all this shit? I didn't even mention her!" Inuyasha yelled. He'd never compare them, and they were so very different there was no way of doing it, anyway!

"You did, even if you didn't say her name, what do you think Kagome thought about when you said a REAL MIKO had to be a good archer?" the houshi replied, trying to keep his tone as even as possible.

Inuyasha was going to reply when the reality of his words sank in. He shut his mouth. Had he really compared them? He hadn't meant it, that was sure, but anyway…

"Anyway, houshi" he said, putting up his angered face again "what the fuck has this to do with that flea bag?"

"I was getting there" Miroku answered "It looks like when she ran away from us Kouga followed and comforted her" he made a pause. He didn't know very well this part of the story, he hadn't heard it properly.

"And that's all? She's gonna go with him just because he comforted her?" Inuyasha frowned. Something was missing here.

"I'm not very sure what happened, the only thing I know is that Kagome-sama is giving a thought to a possible relationship with him" he said truthfully.

Suddenly Inuyasha was eying him with suspicion. "And how do you know this. 'Cause I'm sure that Kagome hasn't told you about this all."

Miroku suddenly felt very uneasy. He started rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you see, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Kagome-sama and Sango"

Inuyasha's frown deepened "And did that accident happen, by chance, while they were in the hot springs?"

Miroku paled. Inuyasha growled.

BUMP!

"Damn hentai, if I catch you spying on Kagome again…" Inuyasha growled glaring daggers at the monk.

"I told you it was an accident" he said, rubbing his aching head. "Anyway, Inuyasha, you have to choose and fast."

"What the hell are you talking about now?"

"Don't try to trick me, I am perfectly aware that you have feelings for Kagome-sama, so let's talk clearly, right? I'm trying to help you." He sighed "Inuyasha, sure you already know that Kagome-sama has feelings for you as well. Deep ones too, I should add."

Inuyasha blinked. Did Kagome really have feelings for him? Sure, he knew she cared about him, and was one thing noone had done before, except for Kikyo and his own mother, even though the older miko had a cold way of caring about him, he knew she had. But feelings other than friendship… could Kagome actually love him? And what about him? Did he love her? He liked being with her, and he trusted her with all his might, but love her? He didn't know. And besides, there was Kikyo too. He had made a promise to the undead priestess, which made him unable to love anyone…didn't it? This was so complicated.

"Inuyasha, are you listening to me?" The voice of the annoyed houshi brought him back to Earth. He shook his head "I was telling you that you should come to a decision, either you love Kagome-sama or Kikyo-sama, or maybe neither of them, but you can't love both. You're hurting Kagome-sama, and now she's thinking about just picking Kouga, who she knows for sure that loves her" Miroku told him, rubbing his temples.

Inuyasha wanted to yell at the houshi, to tell him that he was wrong, that nothing was the way he had said, but he knew it was no use. He knew everything the monk had told him was the pure truth. And he had a terrible head ache. He growled in frustration.

"Okay monk, I've heard what you had to tell me, now leave me alone" he grumbled.

Miroku just smiled. He hadn't expected a thank you from his grumpy friend, but he had opened his eyes and that was enough for him. He would have time to tease him to no end when this mess was sorted out. He got up and hurried back to the warm safety of Kaede's hut.

Inuyasha climbed back to his branch and began to go through his feelings, trying to sort everything out.

**Back in the modern Era**

Kagome and Kouga were just reaching the shrine. They'd seen Troy, and Kagome was so pleased the youkai had liked it that much. They walked up the stairs and Kagome turned to him once they reached the top.

"Well, that's your room" she said, pointing to the guest room door "I'm going to bed, I'm terribly tired. Night."

"Hey, wait, there's no way I'm sleeping in another room, how am I supposed to protect you when I'm that far?" he shook his head.

"Don't worry, Kouga, nothing's gonna happen, there's noone here that will attack." She sighed tiredly.

"No way. I'm sleeping with you." He suddenly caught what he had just said "I don't mean… Kagome, I didn't … you can't possibly think that I…" he tattered, his face turning bright crimson.

"I know what you meant, Kouga, it's okay, come in, I'll fetch a mattress so you can sleep on it" she was way too tired to argue.

Soon both of them were sleeping peacefully in Kagome's bedroom.

_**So, how did you like it? REVIEW PLEASE, I love to read your opinions!**_


	6. Musings

_**Hey Guys! Guess what? I'm back!!! I am still alive! I just got sick for a while and I missed so many classes that now they've been back with a vengeance and I'm buried under tons of work…**_

_**Anyways, so sorry for the long wait, I hope you like this chapter. Thank you very much to the people who reviewed! You guys are the very best!**_

_**Now, on with the story:**_

**Chapter 6: Musings**

Kouga cracked an eye open as soon as dawn broke outside Kagome's bedroom, even if he couldn't see the light trough the closed window. He looked at the girl laying on the bed and his lips curled into a soft smile, not the cocky grin everybody was so used to see on him. Careful not to wake her up, he stood and walked to her side, in order to watch her in her sleep. She was curled under the covers, her raven hair spilling all over the pillow while a few strands covered her face. Kouga stroked them carefully. _She looks so peaceful… so beautiful and innocent… it'll be heaven to see your face every time I get up, my dear Kagome._ She stirred a bit and he stopped touching her, not wanting her to get up just yet. Anyway, he had no such luck.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, uncomfortable with the feeling that someone was watching her. She had expected Inuyasha's familiar golden eyes, but instead she met a pair of piercing blue orbs.

"Aaaahhhmphhh!" she tried to scream, but a clawed hand covered her mouth halfway

"Shh, it's okay, Kagome, it's me, don't be scared" the youkai told her in a low voice, so he wouldn't wake up the sleeping ningens in the house. He took his hand off her mouth so she could talk again.

"Oh, Kouga, I'm sorry, you scared the shit out of me" she yawned "Is it morning already?"

"Just breaking dawn out there. I wake up on instinct everyday at sunrise." He offered her as an explanation

"Dawn!!?? Oh, God, I want to sleep…Kouga, I'm going back to sleep for a few more hours, I'm just human, I need to sleep" she mumbled the last part as sleep took over her again.

Kouga chuckled and sat beside her on the bed, while he resumed stroking her hair.

The day went on pretty uneventfully. Kouga was bored to death, as Kagome had to study all day for her upcoming exam, so he wasn't allowed out of the house, just in case he got into trouble. Kagome had tried to convince him to go back to the Sengoku Jidai without her, but he wouldn't, so he spent the whole day bugging Kagome while she tried to study, looking over her shoulder and asking questions all the time.

**Back in the Sengoku Jidai**

Inuyasha stirred on his favourite branch in the Goshinboku, still kind of tired for he hadn't been able to sleep that night, thoughts of Kagome and Kikyo swirling in his head and preventing the much wanted and needed sleep from taking him.

_Keh, it's not like I care that much, Kagome can go live with that mangy wolf as fast as we collect all the shards for all I care. He mumbled under his breath._

A voice inside of him hooted with laughter.

_My God, that was a good one. Who do you think you're kidding? I feel exactly the same things you do, remember? You know she's ours, and no matter what you say, if she chose to stay with the wolf you'd rip his head out before he could lay a claw on her, now wouldn't you?_

_Looks like I asked you? Now shut the hell up, I'm trying to concentrate and get rid of all this crap!_ He answered annoyed at the mocking tone his youkai was talking to him.

_I would, if you'd act rationally for once_

_And who's talking about rational? You fucking destroy everything around you every time I let you out, be it friends or enemies._

_And I also save your sorry ass when your human blood is too weak to keep up, so don't come blaming me now. Besides, it's you the one who hurts his mate running to that stinky corpse you love so much!_ The youkai yelled at him.

_You just hate her because she wanted you out of me!_ Inuyasha yelled back _and that bitch's not my mate! _

_Oh, but you just called her your bitch, now didn't you?_ The voice inside his head said, bringing back the mocking tone now that he had caught the hanyou in his own words. _And you still think of that undead miko who brainwashed you into becoming a weak human!_ The voice suddenly turned dead serious _Listen to me hanyou, I might not be a full part of yours but I know fucking well my mate when I see her, so stop being the stupid asshole you're for five minutes and listen to what I'm fucking telling you, because if you lose your mate to another youkai then you're bound to be alone for the rest of your pathetic existence. Not that it'd be a very long one if you follow the corpse to hell._

Inuyasha remained silent for a while, taking in everything his youkai had just told him. He had called her his bitch. It could only mean one thing: the wench was the one meant to be his mate. _Mate. I'm bound to have a mate. _He nearly fell of the branch when realization sunk in.

His youkai chuckled to himself. _We're seeing the light, aren't we?_

_You shut the hell up!_ Inuyasha growled. _It's not like she'd have me, anyway, with a full youkai like the wolf courting her. And he had to be a prince, no less!_

His youkai frowned at his sudden change of mood. _Then mark her before he does. It's not like she could do anything to stop you._

Inuyasha chuckled darkly _Oh, believe me, she could. I'd be sat to hell and back if I tried anything like that. And besides, she's a miko. If I tried something like that I'd be purified before I could blink._ Then he sighed. _And anyway, I would never force myself on Kagome; I'd rather go to hell with Kikyo and endure an eternity of torture._

His youkai growled. _You've got the right to do as you please, you claimed her with your scent years ago. _

_I won't have her if she doesn't want to, and besides she deserves better than being mated to a worthless hanyou_

His youkai growled again, but remained silent, contenting himself with the thought that he had opened the hanyou's eyes, so he was very likely to get his mate sooner or later. It was enough… for now.

Once his youkai had finally shut up Inuyasha jumped to the ground and set off to a nearby spring for a bath, in an attempt to wash away some of the light headedness that both the sleepless night and the battle with his inner youkai had brought upon him. He still had to deal with his messy thoughts. The revelation of Kagome being his intended mate would take a while to sink in, and besides he still had his word given to Kikyo. _Stupid wenches are gonna be the end of me._

Sango and Miroku were sitting outside Kaede's hut watching Shippo play with Kirara while enjoying the warm sun kissing their faces. It was very rarely that they had a peaceful day like today, always in a hurry to get the jewel shards before Naraku did, and they had every intention to take advantage of the opportunity. Sango sighed and she stretched her arms behind her back.

"I wonder if Kagome and Inuyasha will some day realise their feelings for each other. I would bet my Hiraikotsu that both of them and head over heels for the other" she said casually, as she eyed the houshi out of the corner of her eye. _Maybe Inuyasha has told him something and I could clear it up for Kagome before she goes completely insane with all this crap._

Miroku was taken off guard, still kind of sleepy after having lunch and sitting on the sun, so he wasn't really thinking when he answered.

"I guess now that Kouga has come into play as so strong competence he, or at least his overprotective instincts, will realize his true feelings for her, and hopefully do something in consequence. As for Kagome, I believe it's obvious to every of us that she loves Inuyasha with all her being, despite her being confused right now over Kouga's attentions" he would have gone on with his chatter if he hadn't felt a murderous glance coming from the girl sitting beside him. _Uh-oh, I think I talked too much._

"And how, may I ask, do you know about Kagome being confused with Kouga?" she asked, her voice so cold it would have made Sesshomaru proud. Anger, nevertheless, boiled in her eyes with the heat of the Nine Hells. "You spied on us while we were bathing!! You hentai!!" she yelled at him, so loud that both Shippo and Kirara paused their games to stare at them.

"My dear Sango, you don't understand, it's just an unfortunate missunderst…"

SLAP!!!!

"That's not fair" he whimpered "I had already gotten hit for that"

"That should teach you, you damn lecherous, perverted…" she went on with adjectives for Miroku's behaviour for a long while before sitting back in her previous spot and beginning to go through what the houshi had just said. "Wait, you had already gotten beaten for that! So you told Inuyasha!!!" her blood froze for a moment. _Inuyasha knows that Kouga kissed Kagome? Oh, Kami, he's gonna kill Kouga next time we see him. As if they didn't fight enough already. I hope he doesn't know that Kagome kissed him back at least, though it would serve him right for hurting her, that baka._ She shook her head. _There's nothing to do, just wait till Kagome comes back and hope it will work out in the end._ She sighed again before bumping Miroku's head.

"Hey, what was that for?" he complained

"For eavesdropping on other people's conversations and for telling Inuyasha after that" she gave him her 'do not complain 'cause you deserve much worse' look.

Miroku just gulped and remained silent. He stared into the distance and spotted a red figure walking towards them. "Speak of the devil…" He whispered to the taijiya, quiet enough for the hanyou's keen hearing not to pick it.

Sango looked at the half demon nervously, not sure what mood he woud be in after Miroku's revelations, but absolutely sure that it wouldn't be a good one. By that time he had already reached them.

"I'm gonna go fetch Kagome" he spat dryly "We'll be back in an hour at most so we can set off tomorrow morning for more shards" he was turning his back to them when Sango found her voice.

"I don't think you should, Inuyasha, she just went yesterday morning and said she was gonna stay for a few days, because she had to take some of her exams. And besides, I think she's still pretty mad at you"

"Mad!" he snorted "She shouldn't be mad, it's me who should be, I was the one sat to hell for no reason at all!" he glared at her.

Sango glared back "She had a perfectly good reason to be mad at you!" she yelled at him.

Miroku, who had been watching them argue, decided it was time to intervene. "Inuyasha, I believe you should at least wait till tomorrow to go fetch her" he spoke calmly.

"Fine, I'll go fetch the wench tomorrow morning so it will have been two dayS" he answered angrily, going into Kaede's hut to see if there was any ramen left from last time Kagome came through the well.

_**Well how did you like it? I hope you're not very mad at me for the long wait, I'm still having a lot of work so it might take me a little longer than usual to update, but I really hope I'll be able to do it at least once in a week. But you know what you have to do to get me to hurry up: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! ;)**_


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